“If anyone boasts, ‘I love God,’ and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.”
Ever ask people why they like the church they attend? I have. The top five answers I usually get are:
1. My family goes there
2. My pastor can preach
3. We do a lot for the community
4. They’re very hospitable
5. I like the choir
You know what I never hear for an answer? “I like the church I attend because the people there love me.” Ironically, it’s the main answer I get from those that do not attend church or stopped going—they don’t feel loved. You may be thinking, “Van, I don’t hate anyone.” Well, just because you don’t hate someone doesn’t mean you show them love. When you constantly remind someone of the wrong they’ve done or judge them based on their past, that isn’t showing the love of Christ. Jesus died for you while you were a sinner, not after you “got right.”
When people leave your church after worship service, do they know Jesus loves them regardless of what they’ve done? Do they know you love them regardless of where they are or where they’ve come from? Jesus doesn’t want you after you got it all together. He wants you back NOW—and so should we.
Show ‘em some love
“Lord, You are love. You have shown me and told me what love is. Help me to be a reflection of that love by loving my brother and sister. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”